Four people died in separate collisions on Ontario Provincial Police-patrolled roads during the Thanksgiving long weekend, the OPP reported this week.
More than 8,800 traffic charges were laid across the province over the weekend. Officers targeted road behaviours that continue to result in serious consequences for drivers and passengers of all ages every year, police report.
Speeding accounted for just over half (4,518) of the driving offences. The OPP also laid 158 racing/stunt driving charges. There were 170 impaired driving charges and 130 distracted driving charges among the other offences motorists chose to commit. Some of the 377 seatbelt charges were laid against unbuckled passengers, serving as a reminder that they too need to do their part to reduce the number of injuries and deaths on our roads, police say.
From January 1 to October 12 this year, the OPP responded to 244 fatal collisions that resulted in the loss of 279 people this year in what were almost all preventable road incidents.
OCTOBER 15
4:00 PM | Waterloo Regional Police responded to reports of a car fire in a parking lot on Farmers Market Road south of St. Jacobs. The Woolwich firefighters attended and extinguished the fire. There were no physical injuries reported. The incident was deemed not criminal in nature.
OCTOBER 16
5:00 AM | Police responded to a two vehicle collision on Victoria and Fountain streets in Breslau. One individual was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. One of the involved drivers was charged with ‘following too closely.’
OCTOBER 17
9:00 AM | A single-vehicle collision brought police to Cober and Kossuth roads near Breslau. No one was injured, but the driver was charged under the Highway Traffic Act.
OCTOBER 18
12:00 AM | Police responded to a single-vehicle collision on Sawmill Road in Woolwich Township. There were no injuries reporter, but the driver was charged under the Highway Traffic Act.
10:30 PM | Wellington County OPP responded to a report of an altercation at a residence on Woolwich Street East in Salem. The victim did not sustain any reported injuries. As a result of the investigation, a 39-year-old from Salem was charged under the Criminal Code of Canada with two counts of ‘assault – spousal.’ The accused was released from police custody and is scheduled to appear in the Provincial Court of Justice - Guelph at a later date.
OCTOBER 19
3:00 PM | Waterloo Regional Police received a report of a shoplifting incident at a business on Arthur Street in Elmira. The investigation is ongoing.
OCTOBER 20
7:00 AM | Police responded to a single-vehicle collision on Fountain Street in Breslau. No injuries were reported.
10:00 AM | Police responded to an offensive weapon incident on King Street in Woolwich Township. The investigation remains ongoing.
1:00 PM | Waterloo Regional Police received a report of a shoplifting incident at a business on Arthur Street in Elmira. The investigation is ongoing.
OCTOBER 21
12:00 AM | A member of the Wellington County OPP conducting proactive patrol on Wellington Road 7 in Ponsonby found a driver to be travelling 60+ km/h over the posted speed limit through a community safety zone. The vehicle was stopped, and the driver, a 20-year-old from Guelph, was charged under the Highway Traffic Act with ‘drive motor vehicle - perform stunt - excessive speed - community safety zone,’ ‘careless driving - community safety zone’ and ‘speeding - community safety zone.’ Anyone charged with ‘drive motor vehicle - perform stunt’ receives a 14-day vehicle impoundment and a 30-day driver’s licence suspension. The accused is scheduled to appear in the Provincial Court of Justice - Guelph at a later date.
Emergency crews responded to Benjamin Road near Benjamin Tree Farm at around 11:20 a.m. Tuesday after a grey Honda Civic struck a roadside pole. The driver, a 45-year-old woman from Waterloo, sustained minor physical injuries after attempting to avoid a dog that had entered the roadway. Andrea Eymann
